Majority of Muslims don't support the extremists who burn everything the moment their feeling are hurt and this was pointed out to Hitchens in the video and yet he still went on and on about that minority 1%. He was always someone who fanned the fire and liked to be controversial just to get publicity.

It's fine saying it's only 1% (whether it's as low as that is something I'm rather dubious about), but when that 1% causes such death, destruction and influence over the population as they disproportionately do, I think it's fairly reasonable to single them out and make such a fuss over them or whatever you are implying.

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

1) Had double pneumonia as a kid, as did my twin sis. Doctors told my parents to pray that we lived through the night. Dad said **** off, I'm an atheist, you ****s better save my kids, etc. Then prayed anyway.

Majority of Muslims don't support the extremists who burn everything the moment their feeling are hurt and this was pointed out to Hitchens in the video and yet he still went on and on about that minority 1%. He was always someone who fanned the fire and liked to be controversial just to get publicity.

Incorrect, what he was saying is the other 99% don't actually always condemn the behavior of the more extreme 1%. His point about 'nobody' having a right not to be offended is a good one, and that's what free speech is all about. It doesn't have to be popular speech, but it's 'free' .

Christopher Hitchens was not aware of everything that went on in the local community. In the UK amongst the local Muslim community and especially in Mosques, there are many programmes which are initiated because of these events, in order to try and bring the wider community together. They don't always get media attention. There is a lot of condemnation, but that also doesn't get put in the media. It's always the looting and destruction that is shown.

People should also respect other peoples religions. Prophet Muhammad is a very important figure in Islam. And any disrespect is extremely offensive. What gain do people get from saying bad things about him?

People should also respect other peoples religions. Prophet Muhammad is a very important figure in Islam. And any disrespect is extremely offensive. What gain do people get from saying bad things about him?

I disagree entirely, people's superstitious beliefs (which let's be honest are generally purely an accident of their birth & nothing more) should be as open to satire as ANYTHING else in the world. If you don't get that, you either don't understand what free speech is or you're claiming a special right not to be offended. I don't happen to believe in any of the thousand man-made gods out there, but I don't claim to be offended when religious people tell me that my type are going to hell or the like. Economics, art, food, film etc aren't immune from criticism & satire so why should someone's subjective belief in the cosmos be? This maybe the case in countries that force their citizen's to have one particular belief, but thank goodness it's not the case in the Western world.

Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. It's not Islam's fault when some Muslims commit atrocities. During the early Islamic Empires, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together as one society peacefully. The problems that we are experiencing are recent and as I have said certain Muslims are to blame for it.

Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. It's not Islam's fault when some Muslims commit atrocities. During the early Islamic Empires, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together as one society peacefully. The problems that we are experiencing are recent and as I have said certain Muslims are to blame for it.

Actually it is the fault of the religion whether it's Islam or any other religion that teaches fundamentalism, because whilst the vast majority won't take the text literally, many will. And when they have this 'absolute' faith, everything else in the 'real' world including rational thinking becomes secondary. The irony is it's often the relatively moderate teachings that the extreme fundamentalism spawns from.

I disagree entirely, people's superstitious beliefs (which let's be honest are generally purely an accident of their birth & nothing more) should be as open to satire as ANYTHING else in the world. If you don't get that, you either don't understand what free speech is or you're claiming a special right not to be offended. I don't happen to believe in any of the thousand man-made gods out there, but I don't claim to be offended when religious people tell me that my type are going to hell or the like. Economics, art, food, film etc aren't immune from criticism & satire so why should someone's subjective belief in the cosmos be? This maybe the case in countries that force their citizen's to have one particular belief, but thank goodness it's not the case in the Western world.